This invention relates to an instrument for measuring the pH and temperature of a liquid medium. More specifically, this instrument is an electronic probe having a memory system which permits measuring pH and temperature of liquids at many locations, storing the information in the memory, and later retrieving the information.
In the chemical industry there are many situations in which it is desirable to monitor the pH and the temperature of a liquid body or a stream. For example, it is often necessary to check the pH and temperature of waste streams from chemical processes, to avoid thermal pollution and undesirable algae growth in rivers or ponds into which the waste is discharged. A common technique involves using a probe to sample the outfall stream and manually recording the location at which the sample is taken. Each sample is then returned to a laboratory for analysis.
This procedure has several disadvantages. One drawback is that it requires the handling and disposal of many samples, which takes a considerable amount of time and effort. Another disadvantage is that with the type of probes which are now available two men are required to perform the sampling technique. One man manipulates the probe to obtain the sample and a second man is needed to record the data picked up by the probe. Since a separate step is required to record the data, errors in transcription and calculation frequently occur.